In the Eyes of a Demon
by Sylla
Summary: How Sparda and Eva met, and just why Sparda decided to fight for humanity instead of against it. Some violence, and romantic scenes. My first fic, so concrit is appreciated.
1. Chance Meeting

His footsteps resounded sharply in the dark alleyway. Normally the alley would have been bustling with life, with merchants vying for attention, stalls crammed along the sides of the street, beggars sitting wherever there was a free space, and urchins running around underfoot. The air would have positively thrummed with the sound of voices, some shouting, some laughing, some crying. But that was before the war. Or invasion, as it would be perhaps more aptly called. A massacre. The weak humans had no chance of standing up to might the likes of which even the lowliest of demons had. There was nothing they could do to save their world from being engulfed by the darkness.

His footsteps resounded sharply in the dark alleyway, and the voices of others of his kind echoed in his ears, full of fear and respect.

Sp... Spar...da... ... Sparda... ... Spar...da...

None would have dared to stand in his way, so powerful was he. And in the minds of some of his kind there ran the rumor that his power even rivaled that of Mundus, Prince of Darkness.

The voices whispered in his ear again.

Sparda... Spar...da...

He shook his head to clear it, smoothing back the pristine white hair of his assumed human form. Weak beings, scarcely strong enough to assume physical forms of their own. He briefly directed his annoyance toward them, and sensed them quail, then vanish. A small chuckle of derisiveness escaped him, then he picked up his train of thought where he had left off. Lost in thoughts he resumed his solitary journey down the alley.

All of a sudden a cry rang out in the confined space. It had all the sound of a plea for help.

Curiosity aroused, he decided to take a look. The cry had sounded human, and there were very few humans to be found around here nowadays. Looking into the dim space between two buildings, he was barely able to make out the figure of a young woman, kneeling on the ground, surrounded by a host of burly men.

An expression almost of anger overcame his face. Even in the darkest times, when they should have comforted each other, there were some humans who weren't above attacking others, others of their own kind. The very thought sickened him.

And as such, he decided to take action.

He stepped purposefully forward, alerting the ruffians of his presence. One by one they turned, eyes glittering, cruel smiles on their faces. Obviously they couldn't recognize him as a demon, for if they had they would undoubtedly be pleading for mercy right about now. One chuckled and elbowed his companion, indicating the sword the demon carried in his left hand. Scum.

He wasn't interested in a conversation with them- not that dirt of this type would be able to offer much in the way of intelligent conversation. So he sprang directly into action.

Before the dim-witted humans could even figure out what was going on, he had drawn his sword Yamato, and was upon them. They outnumbered him six to one. You really had to feel sorry for them.

One fell with a surprised look still on his face, blood spurting from a gaping wound in his throat. Another's head was sliced vertically almost in two. He turned and blocked a feeble overhand blow from the rusty sword of a third, then twisted around an sliced him diagonally in two. He twisted to avoid a thrust, and with a fluid spinning stroke dispatched another two. He stopped briefly upon hearing a dull clang as the sword fell out of the final man's nerveless grasp. The demon turned ice-blue eyes on him and he sank to his knees, cowering.

"M-mer... mercy..." he pleaded.

With an expression of disgust, he swiftly decapitated the man, letting the headless body flopped to the floor to form a pool of crimson blood.

Battle over, he cleaned Yamato on one of the humans' tunics, and resheathed it. He let out a small sigh. This was the reason it had been a massacre and not a war. The humans had no-one - ino-one/I - to defend them. The irony of the situation almost made him laugh. He, Sparda, one of the most feared demons of the Underworld, had just defended a human. And speaking of...

He turned the ice-blue eyes of his human form onto the human he had just saved. She was still kneeling on the floor surveying the carnage in silence. She looked up into his face as he strode over to her. He noticed a small trickle of blood running from a gash on her cheek.

"You're... you're a demon. Aren't you?" she spoke.

Now there was a surprise. A human shouldn't have been able to recognize him, not as a demon at any rate. Obviously this woman was more perceptive than the rest. He calmly regarded her a minute before answering.

"...Yes."

He bent down towards her and she drew back slightly- as much a she was able due to the wall at her back- but he merely hauled her to her feet. He drew back her fair golden hair from her face, taking a strange pleasure in how her heartbeat quickened.

"What is your name... human?" he asked. Curiosity had always been one of his major faults.

She looked surprised. No fault of her's, really. Most humans would have had their throats slit (or some other similar fate) by now.

"Eva."

Eva... the name resounded in his mind as though it had some hidden meaning. Satisfied with this answer, he let his arms drop from her shoulders and turned away. As he began to leave, she called out to him.

"Wait!"

Obligingly he turned around, wondering to himself why he did so. He had never followed an order from a human. Never mind the fact that this was pretty much the first time he had even talked to a human.

"Please," she asked, "Please tell me your name at least, so if we meet again I may know what to call you."

"My name... is Sparda. Though I highly doubt we will meet again."

She looked slightly hurt at this statement, but as he turned to walk away again, she called out to him.

"Then thank you... sir Sparda."

He lifted one had in response, not wanting to stop again. As he vanished into the mist, she stared after him, one word on her lips.

"Sparda..."


	2. Hell Hath No Fury

_Ha, so here we have the second chapter! Those of you who've seen it on Devil's Lair, this is a slightly revised version. I'm not updating the one on Devil's Lair because I want to preserve the original version._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Devil May Cry or any of their characters. If I did there would be a whole DMC game where Sparda is the main character. I only own... my OC's, none of which are in this chapter. Go figure.

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The sun was setting. It tinted the sky glorious hues of purple, orange and blood red. From the top of the Temem-Ni-Gru, the demonic tower, the lands sprawling below appeared almost as a map.

Sparda surveyed these lands with an dispassionate face, though really a whirlwind of thoughts raced through his mind. Though it had bee several weeks since his encounter with that human, Eva... his mind continually kept wandering back to it. In an effort to pull his concentration to something else, he returned to observing the land below with renewed vigor. Here and there fires raged, testimony to the cruel slaughter that his kind were wreaking on the humans.

_...Cruel slaughter_. Had he actually thought that? But the more he contemplated it, the more he came to realize that it was true. It _was_ slaughter.

He barely moved as someone approached him. He knew who it was, anyway. The demon in question had assumed the form of a beautiful woman with long, flaming red hair.

"Nevan." he greeted her neutrally.

"Sparda." came back her sugar-coated voice in response.

She joined him at his lofty perch at the brink of the tower.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she gestured at the expanse below them. "Soon this world will be completely ours. What little resistance the humans are putting up will soon be crushed." She smiled sweetly at him, a smile he knew to conceal fangs. He raised one silver eyebrow sardonically.

"And you came all this way to tell me that? I'm flattered."

She was silent for all of a moment longer before voicing the real reason for her visit.

"Is it true what they are saying?" Her curiosity was so great it was almost palpable.

"That would depend on what they are saying."

"The great demon Sparda... defending a _human_ woman!"

He smiled humorlessly.

"News travels fast, it seems."

"So it _is_ true!"

He shrugged noncommittally.

"And if it is? What business is it of yours?"

She chuckled evilly.

"But, why Choose a mere _human_... when you can have so much _more_..." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she said this, caressing his neck, stroking his platinum hair...

All in one fluid motion he knocked her away from him. Yamato appeared in his hand in a blur of demonic steel.

"Don't trifle with me, Nevan." he warned, eyes flashing dangerously. "I won't condescend to be your plaything." sheathing Yamato with the slightest of flourishes, he turned and walked away, oblivious to the look of pure anger that she shot him as he departed.


	3. Light and Sorrow

_Yay, third chapter up! Thanks to everyone who read it, and an extra thanks to those who reviewed. You really make my day._

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Devil May Cry. If I did this would not be a fanfic, but a manga._

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The church was so peaceful. Like a haven, a pool of tranquility amidst the frothing sea of confusion and turmoil that was the war.

Whenever Eva sat on one of the battered old wooden benches as she did now to watch the setting sun's rays set the stained glass windows afire with color... then, for a few precious moments, she could forget about everything else. Let her sorrow and worry wash from her. She began to hum a small tune. Often before it had been sung by a choir in this very same church. She could remember, when she was little, thinking that it was a host of angels singing the hymn, so beautiful was it. But now she knew, there were no angels. Only demons.

Lost in her reverie, she failed to noticed it was rapidly growing dark. The last ray of sunlight finally disappeared from the window, and startled, she jerked her head up, worry shadowing her face. She should be getting home. Night was when demons were most active, and it was dangerous to be wandering around then... She stood up hurriedly and began make her way down the aisle to the exit. However as she did so, she began to get the creeping feeling that _something_ was walking, not with her but parallel to her, prowling... like a predator with its prey in sight. She stopped and listened, but could hear no footfalls from her unseen... companion. She tried to peer into the darkness to identify what was there... when she realized it was the darkness _itself_ she was looking at.

With a gasp of surprise and fright she fell back A demon in the form of a huge black panther emerged from the shadows in front of her, luminous green eyes glowing maliciously. Eva scrambled to her feet, heart racing furiously. Slowly, she tried to back away, but the demon realized what she was doing. Eyes narrowed, it gave a snarl and tried to pounce on her, claws extended. Only her quick reactions saved her from being ripped to shreds. As the demon pounced she dived out of the way,and it crashed into the benches that had been behind her a second ago. She rose to her feet, rubbing a scrape on her elbow. But now was not the time to nurse injuries. She knew she had to get away- fast. The only problem with that idea was that the demon was now between her and the way out. She would have to hide.

Enraged, a low growl escaped from the demon's throat. It got to its four feet, shaking of dust and debris its crash had generated from its black fur. It kneaded the floor with its claws in anger. That irksome human was as good as dead when it caught up with her. It looked around furiously, only to note the fact that the woman seemed to have vanished. Its whiskers twitched irritably as it paused as if to sniff the air. It began to prowl stealthily in her general direction.

Behind one of the columns at the side of the church, Eva tried to be as still as she could. She knew she wouldn't have a second chance to run if it caught up with her. As it drew nearer, she unconsciously backed away. It thrust its head into the aisle of columns she was hiding between. It was a matter of seconds before it would see her.

Suddenly she bumped into something- and she knew it wasn't a wall. From the darkness behind her strong arms emerged, gripping her. A sick feeling of terror overcame her as she realized it was another demon. Her eyes widened with fright. She could practically feel the claws tearing at her hair, scraping her skin. She turned around and tried to separate herself, but the arms held her fast. In desperation she cried out, a cry that was a mixture of anger, helplessness and fear. She didn't want to die this way!

Then a voice whispered into her ear.

"Be still." it said. "You need not be afraid."

She stopped struggling, though her heart still raced.

"Sparda...?" she asked, fervently hoping she was correct. The arms slid from her and Sparda- for it was he- stepped between her and the demon. She looked up at him, and instinctively she knew that she was safe.

The panther demon, meanwhile, seemed utterly bewildered at seeing his prey blocked by another demon- albeit a demon disguised as a human. And the other demon was Sparda, no less! What was more, he wasn't attacking her. He was _protecting_ her.

Sparda trained his chilling blue eyes on the other demon, eyes that contained a message that could not have been clearer. _Get out of here, or I slice you in two_. Cowed into submission, the demon lowered its head in a grotesque form of bow, then slunk away. Sparda stayed in place until he was entirely satisfied the other was gone.

Suddenly he noticed a sound behind him. Puzzled, he spun around. The sound was coming from Eva. She was leaning against the wall, her curtain of golden hair covering her face. He approached her and parted it, pulling it back slightly. As he did so, he noticed her cheek was strangely wet.

The crystal tears tumbled from her closed eyes, rolling down the smooth contours of her cheek to the point of her chin, where they lingered for a moment before falling the cold stone floor. He caught on of these on his finger, inspecting it with a mildly curious expression.

"Why..." Sparda looked up upon hearing her voice, so subdued.

"Why are they doing this..."

She raised her head suddenly, eyes full of sorrow and anger.

"Why are you doing this!" she cried.

Full of helpless rage, she tried to slap him, but he blocked the blow easily. And as if that one move of his had sapped the energy from her body, she collapsed. Startled, he moved just quickly enough to catch her as she fell. Awkwardly, he stood supporting her as she sobbed against his shoulder. Mentally he cursed himself. What was his strange fascination with this human woman? And why did he feel so strange whenever he was near her?

Gradually her weeping subsided, and she grew calmer. She drew away from him- _was it just him or were her cheeks slightly pink?_, and he judged it was about time to make an exit. However, as he moved to leave, she caught his hand.

"Wait..." she said, and for the second time he obliged.

"This is the second time you have helped me.. why? Everywhere demons wreak havoc on us, senselessly killing all in their path... and yet you chose to help me. Why?"

He contemplated her for a long moment, then shook his head.

"I cannot give you the answer you ask of me- I do not have it."

He stood for a moment, not knowing quite what to say- something that had only happened once or twice to him before. Finally he placed hishands onher slim shoulders. Though he could tell she was surprised, she made no move to knock him away. Unfortunately, it then occurred to him that this was perhaps not the most... _appropriate_ of gestures.

"I am sorry..." he let his arms drop, and stepped away from her. "I must go."

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From the thick boughs of a neighboring pine tree, he observed her as she left the church. He had reverted to his true demon form, which coincidentally blended nicely with the shadows cast by the boughs.

The second encounter with that hu- ...with Eva... seeing her anger and sorrow had somehow unnerved him. He had wanted to tell her not to be sad, that he would guard her, but... he didn't. Because as much as he wanted to he couldn't permit himself to. Because he was a demon, and she was a human.


	4. Revelations

Bwahaha! I'm back with this fic now. 'Cause Destructo888 brought to my attention that (OMG) I haven't been updating it. Bwaah. XD

Anyways, I was rereading the story and I noticed that (double OMG) it sounds like Eva's a Christian here. Ok, so if anyone's confused about that, let me clear it up: she's NOT. There, problem solved. When I wrote church, I just meant (in my incredibly unreligious way) that it was a random building where people can pray. And, a will shortly be substituting the word 'angels' in ch. 3 for 'gods'. I know you said not to change it, Busta, but... I hate plotholes and I hate hypocrisy, so there was no way I couldn't. No biggie.

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Sparda once again stood at the top of the Temen-Ni-Gru. Thoughts tumbled through his mind so fast he could hardly register them, and feelings raged inside him, a swirling whirlpool of emotions that, with each moment that passed, he felt he had less control over. Something inside him wanted so much to be with Eva, and he didn't know why. He was angry at himself for letting himself give in to temptation as he had back at the church. And overlaying it all was this other strange _feeling_... he didn't know how to describe it.

The cold breeze tugged playfully at the hem of the purple coat he had crafted for himself. Overhead the silver moon shone brightly, a silent witness to the intricate act that was being performed in the lands far below. Sparda admired the moon. It was beautiful, and untouchable... nothing they could ever do would change it.

He turned his head slightly as he noticed he had company. The other demon had not bothered to assume a human form, instead preferring that of a satyr- with the addition of a pair of cruelly twisting horns and a tong armored tail. The two had known each other for a long time and although Sparda was undoubtedly the stronger, each had a sort of mutual regard for the other- as close as demons can get to a friendship.

"Sparda." he said. "I had a feeling you'd be here."

"Ahzarel. Have you come to belabor me about my recent actions as well?" he smiled wryly.

"Belabor, no." the other chuckled. "After all, it's entirely your choice... but really, _why_? I mean, she's only a human."

"Perhaps that's why... the humans intrigue me, Ahzarel."

"Be intrigued to you heart's content, Sparda. Just don't forget where your loyalties lie."

"Hmm." was the ambiguous response. Then-

"Ahzarel, you know more about humans than I do... what do they call it when water falls from their eyes?"

The other scratched one side of his horned head.

"Errrm... crying, I think. They seem to do it a lot when they love each other, strange things."

"Love?"

"Yes... it's..." Ahzarel paused as he searched for a way to describe it. "Like... when they always want to be together... and they want to mate... I think."

Sparda tilted his head to one side, smile tugging at his lips.

"A most eloquent response. Thank you."

But though he outwardly appeared calm, one thought kept running on a constant loop through his mind.

_Love... ...?_

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"Eva."

Eva looked over her shoulder from the window she was staring out of at the sound of her name.

"What is it Taelle?" she looked over to where her sister stood. Taelle looked very similar to Eva- aside from the fact that her hair was darker, very few differences could be found. They even had similar voices.

"You've been distant all day, what bothering you?" Her sister bore an expression of concern on her face.

"Bothering me?" Eva smiled. "Nothing's bothering me, I was just thinking."

Taelle sat down on the cushioned ledge next to her.

"About what?" she asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Well... I met someone."

"Oooh." Taelle was smiling broadly now. "Is he handsome?" she asked suddenly.

"I didn't even say it was a he!" Eva protested.

"Oh, come on. You're staring out the window with a dreamy look on your face because you've met someone." Taelle pointed out. "How could it possibly _not_ be a he?"

"Point taken."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Is he or is he not handsome?" Taelle repeated, exasperated.

"Ah! Well... yes, he is. Very." At least in one of his forms he is, she thought guiltily.

"Do you love him?"

Eva jumped at the inevitable question.

"Y-w-well... I mean..." she stammered.

"A yes or a no would be suitable in this instance." Taelle was clearly enjoying herself.

"I... I don't know. Maybe." Eva sighed.

With a triumphant "Ha!" Taelle threw herself on her sister, hugging her tight.

"A 'maybe' is as good as a 'yes'!" she cried. "I'm so happy for you!"

Feeling dazed, Eva -just- barely managed to return the hug with a wan smile. But a sinking feeling inside her warned that things weren't going to be that easy. Not by a long shot.


	5. Hopeless

Yeah, I'm alive. But tired. Very tired. yawns See? Anyways, I have a lot of schoolwork going on and (before you ask I still am working on my fics) that means I haven't been able to output as much as I would like. So you're stuck with something previously written, but altered and improved somewhat. In particular the ending. For those of you who have read it before, you'll se what I mean- gone is Sparda's 180 change of opinion. "

Anyway, if I have time I'll finally finish another chapter of Ice to Fire. Later!

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own DMC or any of the characters. Like, wow, shocker. XD

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The human captain breathed deep to calm himself down. All around him, his troops shifted restlessly. He cursed under his breath and cautioned them to be silent. Though he couldn't see them in the dark, he knew that every one of them was as nervous as he was. Some of them more, probably. And he knew that most- if not all- of them would never see daylight again. Their wives and children would never see them again, either, though they would know why. This thought caused the rage and hatred to boil up inside him again, and his grip on his sword tightened.

Just then, a series of blurred shapes and lights appeared on the horizon. A murmur ran through the company. They were coming.

"Hold your ground." the captain instructed curtly, jaw clenched.

They would, he was sure of it. Even though they all knew it was a hopeless battle, each one of them would fight until the legs gave out from under him and he collapsed with the life fading from his eyes.

He waited as the demons drew nearer. There were more than they had expected- almost two hundred. Some took the forms of hideous mythological beasts, hydras, sphinxes, griffons, even a dragon or two. Others preferred enlarged versions of wild animals- huge wolves and tigers were scattered here and there. There were even a few who- perhaps out of some twisted semblance of humor- has donned human forms.

As the demons drew past markers they had previously set, the captain turned to the man beside him.

"Catapults." he ordered.

"Fire!" the other cried out at the top of his lungs. The people manning the catapults set the cloth and resin-wrapped boulders aflame, launching them into the night sky. As they rose up into the air, they appeared almost like fireflies. Then, gravity's inexorable grip drew them back down onto the ranks of the demons.

Though more than a few of them were engulfed in the flames, the overall effect was little. And the demons kept advancing.

"Again." the captain ordered.

Once more the catapults fired, setting even more of the demons aflame. However, they continued their relentless advance.

"Steady." he said to his nervous troops. "Wait for them to come."

As they passed another marker, the captain touched his second-in-command's shoulder.

"Now."

The other man lit and raised the torch he bore. At this preset signal, the front-line troops ignited a series of other torches. Just as the demons were about the reach them, they threw the torches down onto a trench filled with dry grass, logs and oil, which ignited immediately. The demons had to execute a sudden stop to avoid charging straight into the wall of fire now separating the two opposing sides.. A brief period of confusion followed in the ranks of the demons as they regarded the "firewall". Unfortunately for the humans, many of them had wings.

Several griffons and dragons, armored bodies glinting in the fire's blaze, took to the skies, flying directly over the fire. One then dived, completely ignoring the arrows being shot at it. It swooped down on the human soldiers, taking two of them in its claws and launching them in the air. They came down with a sickening crack, and were still. Several of the sphinxes sprung over the fire with a leap, coming down on the soldiers with claws and teeth bared. Those unfortunate enough to be in their way as the landed were immediately killed, as the demons swiped at them, opening cruel wounds and throwing them into their companions. Demons who could not jump over the fire ran around it, coming at the humans from the other side. Now they were surrounded, the fire that had briefly protected them now cutting off all means of escape. There was no hope for them, and they knew it. With wild death cries, tears of hatred and rage standing in their eyes, they launched themselves at the demons.

From the forest near the battleground, Sparda surveyed the slaughter with a strange expression. Though he himself had participated in this type of battle before, now he could see the 'senseless killing' the humans talked about- almost like having a dual vision. Finally, he turned away. Unable to watch any more.


End file.
